All medical facilities have part of their routine the constant transfer of patients from one support surface such as a permanently-placed hospital bed to another support surface such as another bed, a gurney or any other maneuverable support surface. This is inevitable because of the need for patients to be moved to other sections of the medical facility for surgery, further medical tests, x-rays and scans, the soaking of burn victims in water tubs, and etc. The transfer can be very uncomfortable and painful for the patients and may require a number of medical personnel to facilitate the transfer especially with immobile and heavy patients.
Depending on how advanced facilities in a medical establishment are, non-ambulatory patients are moved in various ways. Often, several personnel are required to lift the patient at one time from one bed to another, usually a wheeled contraption, or to a wheelchair before being transported to another section of the medical facility. This leads to work-related complaints from nurses and medical attendants because of back injuries incurred.
Innovations have been attempted to facilitate the easy transfer and transport of immobile and critically-ill patients. Hoist-type lifts wherein patients are suspended in a sling have been used but this entails positioning the sling under the patient first then physically lifting the patient which results in the change of the patient's body position and the application of pressure points other than those applied when in a prone position. This can be very uncomfortable for patients, particularly orthopedic and burn patients. A similar system is the use of roller boards which, again, have to be positioned under a patient before transport and yet may not be able to securely keep the patient in place.
Other prior transfer devises have not been able to accomplish the transfer of patients in the smoothest pain-free manner possible. There have been conveyors introduced which may serve the purpose but would not be able to accommodate different-sized beds. These devises are set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,163,189; 4,776,047; 4,761,841; 3,769,642; 3,593,351; 3,413,663; 3,302,219; 2,733,452; 2,630,583; 2,536,707; 1,487,171; 1,263,611; 716,886; and 378,220. Likewise, US patents to DiMatteo and DiMatteo et al entails transferring a prone patient between a bed and another horizontal support by webs which move independently in a lateral direction; but, since the webs are in no way connected, the two support surfaces must be separated from each other during the transfer operation so that the movements of both webs do not interfere with each other. Therefore, the gap between both support surfaces would mean a lapse of support for the patient. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,170 to Knouse, a web attaches to the edge of the sheet on the patient's bed so that as the web is wound onto a roller it pulls the sheet, and thereby the patient, onto an adjacent support surface. But to do the vice-versa must be done from the other side of the bed which may not be accessible to the patient mover.
Carter, et al in U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,424, has improved on these other systems as described above by inventing a transfer system consisting of two support surfaces with the use of pliable webs, the opposite ends of which are wound about a pair of cylindrical rollers and driven by motors which are hydraulic. Another patent, U.S. Pat. No. 6,591,435 to Hodgetts is similar in the sense that it transports a patient from a bed to a stretcher or vice versa through the use of a bed sheet and a conveyor attached to the bed or the stretcher. A first end of the sheet is removably attached to the conveyor and a second end of the sheet is free. The sheet is adapted to be positioned onto the patient supporting member of the bed or stretcher. The conveyor includes a roller received by bearings. The roller can also include a telescopic arrangement so that its length can be adjusted.
Needless to say, all these contraptions cause discomfort and even pain to the patients being transferred and transported and would not work conveniently for patients in very serious condition. Movements incurred by transferring and transporting patients through such methods may even adversely affect their recovery.
Although this invention and its embodiments has as its primary purpose the convenient transfer of patients from one support surface to another with the minimum, if not zero, movement of the patient, there are secondary purposes which include the allowance of space and facilitation of air flow under a continuously-prone immobile patient to prevent bed sores; and, the convenient changing of bed sheets under an immobile patient which would ensure a hygienic environment for a critically-ill person forced to stay in hospital for a long period of time.
Those long-staying patients in medical facilities are often those who are critically ill, critically burned, comatose, or require surgical operations one after the other. Most often they are in a continual prone position subjecting them to the prevalence of pressure sores. Low air loss patient support structures or beds have been known in the medical field for the prevention and treatment of pressure sores. Support Systems International, Inc. has come up with exemplary low air loss beds relating to wound care management and prevention like their Flexicair and Restcue beds. Alternating pressure low air loss beds are also known; for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,029 to Vrzalik which has air bags positioned alternatively in an inter-digital manner. For this purpose, this present invention would not need any other extra accessory. The planks can be lowered down and away or lowered to the sides and away from the patient's back in an alternating manner to facilitate air flow so that there would still be ample support under the patient whilst permitting air to circulate freely to the skin.
Again, for long-staying patients to which the slightest movement may cause excruciating pain, there is a need for a system to change bed linen with ease. Routine in hospital is to fold a linen lengthwise and position it along the length of the patient with the folded side pushed a little under the patient's back. Then the patient is turned a little in order to pull the other side of the sheet from underneath. This works only for patients that can be moved without entailing pain. However, this present invention includes 2 or 3-dimensional planks laid inter-digitally in 2 palettes to give a complete support surface to the patient but each plank, being separate from each other, can thus be fitted with a separate fitted sheet, also 2 or 3-dimensional. Therefore, they can be rotated periodically so that a clean side is always under the patient until such time that all two or three sides have been soiled and would necessitate its change
Although this invention utilizes wooden or aluminum material or any other similar and suitable material to substitute, the planks can also be in the form of air bags which can be inflated or deflated alternatively to fit the purpose of the support surface. In this case, a pneumatic system needs to be introduced and changes made to the apparatus to accommodate such changes. The apparatus can also be changed from being manually operated to being powered, whether by electric, hydraulic, pneumatic, or whatever suitable energy.
This device to transfer and transport patients will be simple to operate and maintain and would not conflict with the other portions of the medical system; thus accomplishing the transfer and transport of patients from one location to another in a medical establishment in an efficient pain-free manner by a minimum of personnel.